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Terminal (Halo 3): Difference between revisions
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==Production notes== | ==Production notes== | ||
*According to [[Paul Russel]], several [[Bungie]] employees were involved with the writing of ''Halo 3''{{'}}s terminals. [[Frank O'Connor]], [[Damian Isla]], [[Robert McLees]], [[Rob Stokes]], [[Paul Bertone]], [[Jaime Griesemer]], [[Jason Jones]], and possibly also [[Lorraine McLees]] had a hand in producing the narrative of the terminals,{{Ref/Twitter|Id=WriterList|docabominable|1602482171377221632|Paul Russel|Quote=Nooo! Bungie totally wanted the terminals! We didn't initially have time or resources to get them in. I was asked if I wanted to help and jumped in. Frank, Damian, Robt, Stokes, Bertone, Jaime, and even Jones contributed to the writing of the terminals. All vetted by management.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} a narrative which was then vetted by Bungie management prior to launch.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=McLees|docabominable|1602455088542486529|Paul Russel|Quote=...I believe Robt and Lorraine were writing them, Damian did code, I did the art & terminals.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|WriterList}} Damien Isla also worked on the terminal's in-game implementation from a coding perspective while Paul Russel worked on the art.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=I was always doing little tiny incremental things with development throughout, but where I really started working on things going directly into the game was Halo 3, when I worked with (engineer) Damian Isla on the terminals that explained the deeper lore. So I was doing more and more story as we got towards the end of it, and as we started Reach, I got the chance to actually write the script.|Quotee=Frank O'Connor|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|McLees}} | *According to [[Paul Russel]], several [[Bungie]] employees were involved with the writing of ''Halo 3''{{'}}s terminals. [[Frank O'Connor]], [[Damian Isla]], [[Robert McLees]], [[Rob Stokes]], [[Paul Bertone]], [[Jaime Griesemer]], [[Jason Jones]], and possibly also [[Lorraine McLees]] had a hand in producing the narrative of the terminals,{{Ref/Twitter|Id=WriterList|docabominable|1602482171377221632|Paul Russel|Quote=Nooo! Bungie totally wanted the terminals! We didn't initially have time or resources to get them in. I was asked if I wanted to help and jumped in. Frank, Damian, Robt, Stokes, Bertone, Jaime, and even Jones contributed to the writing of the terminals. All vetted by management.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} a narrative which was then vetted by Bungie management prior to launch.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=McLees|docabominable|1602455088542486529|Paul Russel|Quote=...I believe Robt and Lorraine were writing them, Damian did code, I did the art & terminals.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|WriterList}} Damien Isla also worked on the terminal's in-game implementation from a coding perspective while Paul Russel worked on the art.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|Quote=I was always doing little tiny incremental things with development throughout, but where I really started working on things going directly into the game was Halo 3, when I worked with (engineer) Damian Isla on the terminals that explained the deeper lore. So I was doing more and more story as we got towards the end of it, and as we started Reach, I got the chance to actually write the script.|Quotee=Frank O'Connor|D=22|M=08|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Reuse|McLees}} | ||
*Bungie seemingly initially planned for the Forerunners and humanity | *Bungie seemingly initially planned for the Forerunners and humanity to be the same species, as this intent is echoed in the original ending for ''[[Halo 2]]'' (described [[Earth Ark#Escaping the Ark|here]]) and Mendicant Bias's statements regarding humanity in ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''. However, according to Paul Russel, the studio had made the decision to change this sometime during the development of ''Halo 3''.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=TheChange|docabominable|1602455841793347585|Paul Russel|Quote=No, 343 ran with lore developed by Bungie alone. The Forerunners changed for the Halo 3 terminals. I know everyone responsible for that. It was a change that was vetted and approved by Bungie long before 343 was even an idea.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} The change from humans and Forerunners being the same species to them being separate species was vetted and approved by Bungie,{{Ref/Reuse|TheChange}} and was first implemented in ''[[Halo 3: The Cradle of Life]]'',{{Ref/Comic|Id=Cradle|H3CoL}} a comic released as part of the game's ''[[Iris]]'' marketing campaign. It was also reflected in ''Halo 3''{{'}}s terminals.{{Ref/Reuse|TheChange}} | ||
**Paul Russel has explained that while the game and terminal writing team did have overlap, they did not think this apparent discrepancy would ultimately matter. On top of this, he said that Bungie management vetting "never read or cared about continuity."{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Discrepancy|docabominable|1603050616028368897|Paul Russel|Quote=From what I have gathered by talking to people involved offline: The game and terminal writers were separate teams with overlap; they didn't think the discrepancy would matter; management vetting never read or cared about continuity...|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Additionally, there appears to have been disagreement even within the terminal writing team. Paul Russel recalls a conversation he had with one of the writers where they stated that they saw the Forerunners in the terminals as a "subset of early humans uplifted by another group" (possibly the [[Precursor]]s).{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Discrepancy2|docabominable|1603053863866880000|Paul Russel|Quote=One of the writers said that the (terminal) forerunners were a '…subset of early humans uplifted by another group (the precursors?)'. Also 'I don’t believe that management gave a single shit about any story element...they only cared about shipping a game.'|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} This explanation is more in line with the current understanding of the Forerunners and humanity, where they are ultimately separate, but they have similar origins. Through sources like ''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'' and the 2022 ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]'', Forerunners and humans were revealed to have been evolved from the same base stock by the Precursors. | **Paul Russel has explained that while the game and terminal writing team did have overlap, they did not think this apparent discrepancy would ultimately matter. On top of this, he said that Bungie management vetting "never read or cared about continuity."{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Discrepancy|docabominable|1603050616028368897|Paul Russel|Quote=From what I have gathered by talking to people involved offline: The game and terminal writers were separate teams with overlap; they didn't think the discrepancy would matter; management vetting never read or cared about continuity...|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} Additionally, there appears to have been disagreement even within the terminal writing team. Paul Russel recalls a conversation he had with one of the writers where they stated that they saw the Forerunners in the terminals as a "subset of early humans uplifted by another group" (possibly the [[Precursor]]s).{{Ref/Twitter|Id=Discrepancy2|docabominable|1603053863866880000|Paul Russel|Quote=One of the writers said that the (terminal) forerunners were a '…subset of early humans uplifted by another group (the precursors?)'. Also 'I don’t believe that management gave a single shit about any story element...they only cared about shipping a game.'|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} This explanation is more in line with the current understanding of the Forerunners and humanity, where they are ultimately separate, but they have similar origins. Through sources like ''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'' and the 2022 ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]'', Forerunners and humans were revealed to have been evolved from the same base stock by the Precursors. | ||
**While [[Joseph Staten]] wrote ''Halo: Contact Harvest'', he was placed on temporary administrative leave to reduce tension within the writing team, according to Paul Russel. Staten was therefore not privy to what was going on with the decisions made for the terminals, explaining his novel's contradiction with Bungie's new stance that humans and Forerunners were separate species. Staten was brought back into the studio just before launch for final polish, after the writing team's differences had been settled.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave|docabominable|1602510864774582272|Paul Russel|Quote=...Joe was on 'administrative leave' when he wrote the book, and wasn’t in the studio during much of H3. He honestly had no position at Bungie at the time and wasn’t privy to what was happening with the terminals...|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave2|docabominable|1602513112850378752|Paul Russel|Quote=To be clear, this wasn't a punishment for Joe. To reduce tension and remind that 'writer' is a position, Rob Stokes led H3's writing team for a bit, then Joe came back at the end for polish and finish. By then differences were settled, heads cooled.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} | **While [[Joseph Staten]] wrote ''Halo: Contact Harvest'', he was placed on temporary administrative leave to reduce tension within the writing team, according to Paul Russel. Staten was therefore not privy to what was going on with the decisions made for the terminals, explaining his novel's contradiction with Bungie's new stance that humans and Forerunners were separate species. Staten was brought back into the studio just before launch for final polish, after the writing team's differences had been settled.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave|docabominable|1602510864774582272|Paul Russel|Quote=...Joe was on 'administrative leave' when he wrote the book, and wasn’t in the studio during much of H3. He honestly had no position at Bungie at the time and wasn’t privy to what was happening with the terminals...|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Id=AdminLeave2|docabominable|1602513112850378752|Paul Russel|Quote=To be clear, this wasn't a punishment for Joe. To reduce tension and remind that 'writer' is a position, Rob Stokes led H3's writing team for a bit, then Joe came back at the end for polish and finish. By then differences were settled, heads cooled.|D=18|M=12|Y=2022}} | ||